Mariah Dillard (Earth-616)
| CurrentAlias = Black Mariah | Aliases = | Identity = Public | Affiliation = , White Jennie; formerly , Flea, Scimitar, | Relatives = | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York | Gender = Female | Height = | Weight = 400 lbs | Eyes = Brown | Hair = Black | UnusualFeatures = | Citizenship = American | MaritalStatus = Single | Occupation = Criminal, gang Leader | Education = | Origin = Human | PlaceOfBirth = Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York | Creators = Steve Englehart; George Tuska; Billy Graham | First = Hero for Hire Vol 1 5 | HistoryText = Early Life Black Mariah was the leader of a gang of New York criminals called the Rat Pack. Their primary source of criminal activity would be using a stolen ambulance to pick up the bodies of the recently deceased, and then stealing whatever valuables they had on their person. Luke Cage When a man named Frank Jenks was murdered in the Gem Theater, it would be Black Mariah's gang that would pick up the body. When Jenks' widow learned the truth, she would hire Luke Cage (who was at the scene of the murder) to find her husband's body; the sympathetic Cage would take the job free of charge. In spite of the bad information given to him by his informant, Flea, Luke Cage manages to find the hideout of Black Mariah. This would lead to a clash between Mariah and her men against Cage. Luke would ultimately defeat Mariah and her cohorts and turn them over to the police. However, it would prove to be a bitter victory, when Flea's insistence for payment (in spite of giving the wrong info) in front of Jenks' widow prompts her to get angry, thinking that Luke was going back on his offer to do the job for free. Release from Prison After some time in prison, Black Mariah would be released and would start a new enterprise: drug dealing. She would become the primary distributor of a drug called Acid Z, a potent drug that would eventually make its users become crazy and often times suicidal. When some of the drug got into the hands of Luke Cage's friend D.W. Griffith, Cage would go looking for his old friend while his partner Iron Fist would track down the primary distributor and shut them down. Iron Fist would find Black Mariah's hideout, however, he would find that she had hired a special enforcer as protection: Iron Fist's old foe Scimitar. Iron Fist would soon be joined in battle with his partner Power Man after Luke learned of his old foes involvement in the drug distribution, and the Heroes for Hire would make short work of Mariah and Scimitar, crushing their drug operation and turning both crooks over to the police. White Jenny Mariah had Jennie Royce trick Luke Cage and Iron Fist into recovering the Supersoul Stone telling them it was necklace which belonged to her grandmother had been taken, and that she'd like their help in recovering it from the current owner, Tombstone (Lonnie Lincoln). Now staying at the Sisters of Mercy House the two happily returned her necklace. She gave the necklace to Black Mariah who gleefully saw the artifact as the first step towards their taking over of Tombstone's soon-to-be-crumbling criminal empire. | Powers = | Abilities = She can use her extreme weight to hit with respectable force. | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = * Supersoul Stone: | Transportation = | Weapons = She uses a pair of poisoned sewing needles to drug her opponents. Also, a gun. | Notes = | Trivia = Took her name from the paddy wagon nicknamed "Black Mariah." | Marvel = | Wikipedia = | Links = * Black Mariah on Appendix }} Category:Crimelords Category:Street Fighting Category:Mobsters